Help...LED or Regular Light Bulbs ?

[plh869]

We have a 2014 DBUD and hear that LED bulbs are the way to go! We tried some in one of our fixtures, and they seem dimmer than the regular bulbs. We bought 7 watt bulbs. Should we have bought the 18 watt? Or do we need to just stay with regular bulbs? We did wait to allow the bulbs to “warm up” to see if it would make a difference, and it didn’t. Our eyesight isn’t great, so we need all of the light we can get!! Thanks in advance for any advice offered!!!

[crunchman12001]

Hi phl869,
You will need to look at the Lumen output on the new bulbs. The higher the lumen, the brighter the bulb. You did not state which style of bulbs you went with. (panel or corn cob) also the base type (1157 or 912, 921)
The more LED diodes, the brighter the light / Lumen.
I replaced all the 921 style doubles in my old camper with 27 SMD (warm white, 2700 Kelvin) LED's and they worked well.
I did have to go with 68 SMD (cool white, 6000 Kelvin) bulbs in the bathroom so she had enough light to apply the war paint.
Buy from Ebay, they are the cheapest.

[rsdata]

This link below is a great site to get your questions answered about LED bulbs and they have great products also... much better to get the right product from these guys then try to get the correct LED from Ebay or others...

LED Retrofit Light Bulbs for RVs and Trailers

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by rsdata

This link below is a great site to get your questions answered about LED bulbs and they have great products also... much better to get the right product from these guys then try to get the correct LED from Ebay or others...

LED Retrofit Light Bulbs for RVs and Trailers

At $10 a bulb from the link above you can buy 20 on Ebay for the same price. To each his own I guess.

[MtBiker]

Take a look at these. We used the first generation bulbs and have had them for just over 3 years. Just $1.39 per bulb in ten pack.
https://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-...29+Pack+of+10+

[IsleDog]

your biggest concern is the QUALITY of the bulb. my father in law has CW install LED throughout his entire new Cedar Creek. melted almost all of the light covers. they installed 12v only bulbs. they got too hot when the charger kicked in supplying 14.4 volts. you need a bulb that can handle 8-20 volts. if it cant, dont get it or you will be replacing bulbs due to flickering or popping them/melting them. you can buy adapters for almost any base style now. you need a higher lumen count. the higher you go on the Kelvin scale, the more white/blue they turn.

the link below explains the difference in the types of LED's out there and their relative lumen output per type.
https://www.flexfireleds.com/pages/C...5050-LEDs.html

next, find your bulb type on the chart below and see what its lumen output is per bulb. now you know what you need the LED replacement to output to be comparable to your current bulb.
http://www.rvledbulbs.com/v/vspfiles...scentbulbs.pdf

Remember, not all 12v led's can handle lower or higher voltages. some can only take a steady 12v. our rigs can dip to 11v or as high as 14+ volts.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by plh869

We have a 2014 DBUD and hear that LED bulbs are the way to go! Our eyesight isn’t great, so we need all of the light we can get!! Thanks in advance for any advice offered!!!

The covers on our 2010 tt had turned yellow, so we replaced the entire fixture with these: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06XCDZW...1-357518f34f72

600 lumens ( or 300 if you only light one side ) is plenty of light to light up the trailer.

The added benefit of LED is the absence of heat generated by the regular bulbs.

[Flybob]

Unlike incandescent bulbs, many LED replacements use active components to drive the LEDs. If the manufacturer uses cheap active components, they can generate heat and/or RF interference that will cause problems with OTA tv and radio reception. Not saying waste your money, but get some decent quality LEDs. A good source for good LEDs is superbrightleds.com

[harleybiker]

Lumens are important, but you can't believe what is specified. You can get good quality from eBay, you need to research. At their prices you can afford to get some samples, install them, get a cheap $15 light meter from eBay, and compare output of the old incandescent to the LED. Also if you feel more than warm when holding your hand on the lens after a time, you can do better. I installed over 30 LEDs 2 years ago, am very happy with then, have not had a burn out. The hardest one to replace is the 20w halogens, which by the way run very hot and have a lot of lumens. You might have to settle for LEDs here that don't quite put out the same lumens. Have fun!

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by crunchman12001

I did have to go with 68 SMD (cool white, 6000 Kelvin) bulbs in the bathroom so she had enough light to apply the war paint.
Buy from Ebay, they are the cheapest.

I'm surprised DW didn't insist on Warm White instead of Cool White for a makeup light. I've never known a woman who would accept Cool White in LEDs or fluorescents.

Larry

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I'm surprised DW didn't insist on Warm White instead of Cool White for a makeup light. I've never known a woman who would accept Cool White in LEDs or fluorescents.

Larry

She was ok with it in the old trailer, got her off my back.

[plh869]

Thanks so very much everyone for your information and advice!!! Everyone here is always so kind to help!!!